The USDA National Organic Program announced today that Prof. Asa Bradman, Associate Director of the Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health and Associate Adjunct Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, has been appointed to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) as the Scientist member for a five year term beginning in January 2017. The NOSB is a 15 member Federal Advisory Board that considers and makes recommendations on a wide range of issues involving the production, handling, and processing of organic products. The Board has statutory authority to judge which materials are on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances that may or may not be used in organic crop and livestock production.

Bradman is one of the first members in the scientist position with environmental health training. "I am honored to serve on the Board and thank Secretary Vilsack and the National Organic Program for their confidence in me. One of my first jobs was picking citrus fruits for export and since then I have worked on many public health issues related to food production. Agriculture is a crucial industry in California and the organic sector is growing by double digits across the nation. I look forward to helping support the National Organic Program."

A new study of air quality in early childhood education (ECE) environments in Northern California discovered that levels of several cancer-causing chemicals exceed the age-adjusted “Safe Harbor” levels set by California’s Proposition 65 in a majority of the facilities tested. These chemicals included the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) benzene, ethylbenzene, naphthalene, and chloroform.

Kirk Smith is interviewed on Democracy Nowto discuss his latest study on climate change, published in The Lancet, examining what the future holds for the future of the Olympics. (click video above to play the interview)

"Automotive technicians are commonly exposed to organic and chlorinated solvents, particularly through use of cleaning products. Occupational solvent exposures have been associated with deficits in cognitive function but, to our knowledge, no previous studies have investigated automotive technicians. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether previous exposures to n-hexane, in particular, or general solvents posed a persistent neurotoxic hazard to automotive workers."

Kirk Smith and John Balmes discuss their findings analyzing the future of the summer Olympic in a warming world:

"The Summer Olympics represent only a small part of all outdoor work, but are iconic as the most prestigious and inclusive sporting competition in the world. Using the mean of two standard climate models, we made projections of rising temperature and humidity over the next century, assuming the high emissions RCP8·5 scenario,11 and estimated the effects on the number and global distribution of cities eligible to host the Summer Olympic Games.”

John Balmes discusses what studies can tell us about Fracking sites and their potential effects on people's health.

"Dr. John Balmes, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California, Berkeley who was not involved in the new study, agreed that the study was not designed to establish a cause-and-effect relationship. The study compared people who live near fracking activity to those who live farther away, at a single point in time. But to establish cause and effect, researchers could follow a single group of people who live in an area where there wasn't previously fracking activity but now there is, over time, he said."

Graduate Program in Environmental Health Sciences at UC Berkeley

Training graduate students to become leaders in public health research and professional practice at the interface of environment and health.

Graduate programs in the Environmental Health Sciences division at UC Berkeley provide opportunities for students to learn how human populations—especially the most vulnerable members of society, such as young children, pregnant women, workers, and the poor—are affected by environmental exposures, ranging from microbial and chemical contamination of water, air and other media, to climate change, industrialization, and unplanned urbanization.